


soft hands, softer heart

by amadeusofnohr



Series: FEmslash February 2019 [4]
Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: Alm Route!Faye, Canon Compliant, Cleric!Faye, F/F, Femslash February 2019, Ficlet, Plotless, Pre-Femslash, Pre-Relationship, Slice of Life, Training Session
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 16:31:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17666096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amadeusofnohr/pseuds/amadeusofnohr
Summary: Silque helps Faye with learning the basics of healing magic.(prompt: magic)





	soft hands, softer heart

Faye’s bangs are pasted to her forehead, stiff with sweat. More sweat drips from her face, marking tiny circles in the dirt she’s kneeling in as it falls. In front of her, a large silver fish flops about, wreathed in a soft green glow. The magic pours from her hands, and it  _ aches _ , not physically, but the strain is there all the same.

She takes in a deep breath, determined to see the process through this time. But her body betrays her, and the glow dissipates right before she collapses, fingers digging into damp soil like claws as she catches herself. The fish writhes even more wildly, desperate to be back in water. A pair of gentle hands appear, blurry to Faye’s faded  vision, and scoop the fish up. She hears a  _ plop  _ as the fish is returned to the pond it was snatched from, and then there’s cool hands on her shoulders, pushing her down into a sitting position.

“You almost had it,” a smooth voice offers. Faye sighs, wiping her brow with the back of a hand.

“You said that last time too,” she complains, though she isn’t truly bothered. It’s hard work, but it’s satisfying work. Much more satisfying than helping at the farm or around the house would’ve been back in Ram Village, even though it’s just as taxing.

“That’s because it was true last time, too. Progress isn’t always fast with this, you know.” Silque chastises, gentle but firm. “ Plenty of the clergy back at Novis Isle took their entire childhood to get this far.”

“I bet it didn’t take you that long, though.” She says, and as soon as it comes out she realizes she probably sounds bitter, or jealous. “I mean, because you’re so good at healing.”

Silque smiles at the compliment, though she shakes her head ruefully. “I don’t think you want to know how many fish I accidentally killed before mastering the basics. In my prime, I probably had ten meals a week of just fish to avoid a wasteful loss of life.”

“It’s a good thing they didn’t let you near any humans, that’s for sure. That poor ocean.” 

Silque nudges her with her shoulder. “I could say the same of you. Alm’s lucky I’ve been able to handle all injuries thus far by myself, else we’d be having soldiers draw straws before seeing you for treatment.”

Faye huffs a laugh, but the statement rings more true than she’d like. She raises one arm, spreading her fingers in front of her face to stare at her palm.

“Is there something I’m missing? Not enough faith in Mother Mila? Not enough natural talent?”

Silque reaches out, tracing a finger down Faye’s hand, making patterns on her palm through the grime that coats it. Her hands look as if they should be soft, but instead they’re calloused, from wielding healing staffs and from channeling magic through her hands on a daily basis. Faye’s own hands aren’t yet as worn, and the contrast makes her skin tingle where it’s touched.

“You’ll get there. All it really takes is force of will. It just so happens that a good source of that is a relationship with the Mother.” Her voice is so warm, so full of that quiet confidence she admires, that Faye can’t help but believe her. Her mother always did enjoy telling her she was hard-headed, though she hadn’t meant it in a good way.

“If you say so,” Faye relents in the face of Silque’s words, like she always does. She pushes herself to her feet, wiping the last of the dirt from her hands, and offers a hand to Silque. “Thanks again for teaching me all this. I know I didn’t start off on the right foot with you…”

Silque takes the hand, dismissing Faye’s worries with a chuckle. “You certainly weren’t afraid to voice your opinions. But I think I understand you much better now. I’m glad we got there in the end.”

There’s a pause before Faye lets Silque hand drop, and she thinks one day she’ll have the guts to keep it, but for now she’s still testing the waters with her first new friend since Celica, and she isn’t quite ready to throw stones. 

“I’m glad too.” She offers Silque a smile, and then the quiet walk back to camp begins, peppered with idle talk about the weather and scenery.

**Author's Note:**

> (yes i did shamelessly steal the fish thing from naruto. let me live)  
> Kudos/comments are appreciated, and constructive criticism is welcome as always!


End file.
